2 min read · Updated 19 May 2026
The Cape 31 and the Melges 40 are both modern Grand Prix one-designs, but they answer different questions. The Cape 31 is a roughly 31-foot fixed-keel sportsboat sailed by a small crew, built to be quick, affordable and to gather big fleets; the Melges 40 is a roughly 40-foot canting-keel one-design sailed by eight to ten, built as a rare, powerful thoroughbred. Invicta is a Melges 40, so this compares our class with the smaller boat it is most often mentioned alongside in the world of grand prix yacht racing.
The two boats
The Cape 31, a Mark Mills design, is a carbon sportsboat of around 9.4 metres with a fixed keel and a retractable bowsprit for its asymmetric spinnaker. It is sailed by a compact crew, planes readily, and has been one of the genuine success stories in recent one-design racing — large, competitive fleets have formed quickly, drawn by its blend of performance, relatively accessible cost and close racing.
The Melges 40 is a bigger, more specialised machine: about 12.2 metres, all carbon, with a canting keel that swings to windward, a forward canard, twin rudders and a roughly 200-square-metre gennaker, sailed by eight to ten crew. Only a handful were ever built. The full picture is in the Melges 40 explained.
How they compare
| Feature | Cape 31 | Melges 40 | | --- | --- | --- | | Length | ~9.4 m (~31 ft) | ~12.2 m (~40 ft) | | Keel | Fixed | Canting | | Crew | Small (around 5–6) | 8–10 | | Rule | Strict one-design | Strict one-design | | Fleets | Large and growing | Small and rare |
Both are strict one-design classes — every boat identical, racing decided by the crew — and both fly asymmetric spinnakers from a bowsprit. The difference is scale and ambition: the Cape 31 is the accessible, fleet-building sportsboat, while the Melges 40 is the larger, canting-keel exotic.
Which suits whom
The Cape 31 suits owners who want top-level one-design racing in big fleets, at a lower cost and crew count, on a boat that is exhilarating for its size. The Melges 40 suits those drawn to a rarer, more powerful boat with genuine maxi-derived technology in a 40-foot package — fewer boats to line up against, but a thoroughbred to sail. For how the Melges 40 stacks up against the larger benchmark, see Melges 40 vs TP52, and read about our own boat on the boat page.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between a Cape 31 and a Melges 40?
- The Cape 31 is a roughly 31-foot fixed-keel one-design sportsboat sailed by a small crew, while the Melges 40 is a roughly 40-foot canting-keel one-design sailed by eight to ten. The Cape 31 is smaller, simpler and more affordable with very large fleets; the Melges 40 is bigger, more powerful and rarer, with a canting keel the Cape 31 does not have.
- Is the Cape 31 faster than the Melges 40?
- The Melges 40 is the larger, more powerful boat and is faster in absolute terms, especially downwind where its canting keel and big gennaker drive high planing speeds. The Cape 31 is exceptionally quick for its size and prized for close, accessible racing, but it is a smaller boat with less sail and a fixed keel.
- Which is more popular, the Cape 31 or the Melges 40?
- The Cape 31 has far larger active fleets, having become one of the most successful new one-design keelboats with strong turnouts in the UK and beyond. The Melges 40 was always a small, exclusive class of only a handful of boats, so it is much rarer on the water today.
- Do both the Cape 31 and Melges 40 have canting keels?
- No. The Melges 40 has a canting keel that swings to windward for righting moment, paired with a forward canard. The Cape 31 uses a conventional fixed keel. This is one of the clearest technical differences between the two classes.